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Class. 
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Compliments of 



THE 



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LUTHER STATUE 



AT THE 



NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



HISTORY— UNVEILING— ADDRESSES. 



EDITED BY 



J. a. ^] 



BUTLER, 

Pastor Luther -Place Memorial Church, 







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3> JO 

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WASHINGTON, D. C. 




« 


. BERESFORD, PRINTER, 525 SEVENTH STKEET. 






1886 







. L.^"Bi 



CONTENT? 






Dldication. 

I-l)THEK AND THE StATUE. 

The Feast of Unveiling. 

Poem of Rev. Dr. M. Sheeleigh. 

History of the Statue. 

Address of Hon. Senator Conger. 

Address of Rev Dr. Morris 

Statue UNA'EiLEr. 

Poem of Joel Swart/. D. D 



DEDICATED 



TO THE FRIENDS OF CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY 

IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

THE REPUBLIC WHOSE VITAL PRINCIPLE 

WAS ASSERTED BY MARTIN LUTHER AT WORMS. 



'HIER STEHE ICHr 



'nihtt minint m^^ 

''if ♦ 



Incorporated by Congress. 



J. G. MORRIS, D. D., LL. D.. 

President. 

G. A. DOBLER, 

Recording Secretary 

CHARLES A. SCHIEREN, 

Treasurer. 

J. G. BUTLER, 

Corresponding Secretary. 

A. J. D. WEDEMEYER, 
J. W. B. DOBLER, 
AUGUSTUS KOUNTZE, 
GEORGE RYNEAL, Jr., 
DANIEL M. EOX. 



i],utaer and the Statue. 

By THE Editor. 

The unveiling of a statue of Martin Luther, the first in the 
United States, and in the Nation's Capital, marks an epoch in 
the history of Protestantism. 

It is fitting that this first statue of the Reformer should 
stand among the monuments that beautify the Capital of our 
Republic, a republic which, under God, but for Luther, had not 
been. Michelet, the Catholic historian of France, calls Lu- 
ther " the restorer of liberty in modern times, the liberator of 
modern thought." Our own Webster says "the assertion and 
maintenance of religious liberty have their source in the Re- 
formation of Luther, and this love of religious liberty brings 
with it an ardent devotion to the principles of civil liberty." 

The foundations of our Republic lie back of the Declaration 
of Independence, even beyond Plymouth Rock and the May- 
flower ; they were laid by the granite, Alpine man of faith 
and of courage at Erfurt and Wittenberg and Worms. When 
Columbus discovered this Western world and dedicated it to 
Christ, Luther was a boy at E^isleben. He was born in 1483. 
The four hundredth anniversary of his birth stirred all Chris- 
tendom as it has never been stirred by the birth of any man. 
Since Paul no man like him has lived. 



8 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 

Luther stands in the world's heart for free thought, free men, 
free Government, whose Magna Charta is the Bible. Tliis 
liberated his own conscience from all enslavement, and was 
e\er the focal power of his life and of his work. The Reforma- 
tion, in which this emancipated monk was the central figure, 
was both radical and conservative. With all the energy of his 
honest, earnest soul he hurled Heaven's enginery against the 
usurpations of a corrupt hierarch)-. His ultimate appeal e\er 
was to the Word of God. With equal earnestness he contended 
for the freedom of every individual, for the right of private 
judgment, your God given and inalienable inheritance and 
mine. Our own honored Bancroft says, trul)-, " Luther re- 
pelled the use of violence in religion ; he protested against 
propagating reform b\- persecution, and, with a wise modera- 
tion, he maintained the sublime doctrine of freedom of con- 
science." 

The church bearing Luther's name and circling the world 
with his faith, preaching the gospel in most of the languages 
of Christendom, and numbering fift\' millions of people in its 
communion, has always been marked by its Scriptural conser- 
\atism. If there be found within its fold those who are intoler- 
ant and exclusive, there is nothing in the life or spirit of the 
Reformer to warrant any such intolerance. The spirit of sect 
is wholl}- in conflict with the gospel ; " In essentials unity, in 
non-e.ssentials liberty, in all things charity." It was not his 
friends, but his enemies, who, in derision, called his followers 
Lutherans. He would be known only as a defender of the 
gospel, hence the historic name, Ivvangelical Lutheran Church. 
The conserving power of our growing Republic, representing 
so many and diverse nationalities, is this same Bible with which 
the Reformer fought the battles of the sixteenth centur}-. Great 
perils environ us. We are young among the nations, the history 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 9 

of whose rise and fall suggests both our danger and our duty. 
The agitating and unsolved problems of to-day, the problems 
that center in our immense immigration, in Socialism, in Mor- 
monism, in the liquor power, in our rapidly growing wealth, 
and in the unrest of labor, can find their solution alone in the 
well defined principles of truth and purity and justice and 
equity of the Word of God. Jehovah is the supreme law giver 
and final arbiter. Through Moses and the Christ have we the 
underlying principles and framework of all abiding govern- 
ment. "As ye would that men should do to you do ye even 
yo to them," is the germ principle, the seed corn of eternal 
right between man and man. " The nation and kingdom 
that will not serve God will perish ; yea, those nations shall be 
utterly wasted," is the suggestive fiat of prophecy, confirmed 
and illustrated in the history of the world's governments. 

All lovers of constitutional freedom revere the memory of 
Luther. He stands a Gibraltar, defying the wild surgings of 
tyranny, whether civil or religious. Despotism and anarchy 
alike fall before the spirit of the man who champions the free- 
dom wherewith Christ makes free. The sceptre of His king- 
dom is a sceptre of righteousness, and that alone will survive 
the wreck of nations. 

It is fitting, too, that this statue, so full of inspiration, should 
adorn the picturesque Memorial Church, itself standing among 
the monuments of the Capital a memorial of God's goodness 
in delivering our land from bondage and from war, a memorial 
of freedom and of peace — a freedom and peace secured and 
perpetuated alike to every citizen of the Republic by the Word 
of God. Our land has had its days of darkness and its bap- 
tism of blood. In the darkest days of the Reformation, which 
also had its martyrs, Luther was wont to say to his bosom 



10 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 

friend. Melancthon, "Come, Philip, let us sing.'" The 46th 
P.salm became the battle song of the Reformers, and is classic. 

"A mighty fortress is our God, 

A bulwark never failing. 
****** 

And though the world with devils tilled 
Should threaten to undo us, 

We will not fear for God hath willed 
His truth to triumph through us."' 

Jehovah, the God of our fathers, is " our refuge and strength, 
a very present help in trouble; therefore, will not we fear." 

" Protect us by Thy might. 
Great God, our King." 



The Feast of VuYeiliag. 

o 

Howers and plants abundant and rare, from the Goverment 
and private conservatories; "Jesus" in gas jets, with a large 
oil painting of Luther beneath, made the Memorial Church 
fragrant and beautiful during the joyous Feast of Unveiling. 

A fitting prelude was the gathering of the Lutheran Sunday 
schools of the city on the afternoon of the Lord's day preced- 
mg. The services of song, interspersed with prayer, and, the 
Word, with addresses, made a spirited convocation. 

At night the Rev. Dr. F. W. Conrad gave to a large audience 
his masterl}- oration upon Luther, the Reformer. 

Tuesday evening a platform meeting, in the Memorial, was 
full of enthusiasm. Gen. James A. Fkin, U. S. A., one of the 
helpful friends of the Statue movement, was announced to pre- 
side. Stirring addres.ses were made by the Rev. Drs. Jacob 
Fry, D. H. Geissinger, D. M. Gilbert, Joel Swartz and Hon. 
Jacob F. Miller. 

Rev. Dr. M. Sheeleigh read a poem. 



12 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 



poeni by ||ev. |)p. j\[. ^lieelei^h. 



Lift up the gladsome voice ! 
Let millions now rejoice 
Responsive to our cheer, 

As, met for high commemoration, 

We join, in sight of every nation. 

With reverent praisefulness a "Stone of Help" to rear ! 



Four hundred years have run 
Their course beneath the sun 
Since, far beyond the sea, 

A man of giant soul was given. 
To work a wonder-work for Heaven ; 
And hence with joyful hearts we mark this jubilee. 



How fitting that to-day 
The eager throngs should pay 
Such tribute loved and true ! — 

That in this Nation's Capital 
Erect doth stand, and ever shall, 
This mould of manliness each age will hail anew ! 



There let it ever stand, 
That form which Art hath planned, 
That semblance wrought in bronze ; 

Though mute, and destitute of motion, 
Around it men shall bring devotion — 
Devotion to their God, and honor to His sons. 



When Heav'n of human hands 
Some special work demands, 
His prescience hath prepared 

A Moses, Daniel, or a Paul, 
Or LUTIIER, for the mighty call 
That breaks th' eventful day when His own ami is bared. 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. IS- 

A night all dark and dread 
Had far and farther spread, 
Through age on age, deep wrong ; 

For truth, prevailed the plagues of error, 
The Church of Christ was rent in terror, — 
And many, groaning, cried, " How long, O Lord, how long? " 



Behold one — born of race 
That scorns to fear the face 
Of strongest, direst foeman ; 

That ne'er would basely stoop or cower 
In presence of an earthly power — 
Though holding modern fort or wall of ancient Roman. 



Not rocked on courtly knees. 
Nor clad in robes of ease, 
'Mid enervating things; 

But forced to ways of self-denial. 
And disciplined in rugged trial, 
The Lord His servant forth to painful toiling brings. 



By grace of Heav'n renewed, 
With martyr-faith imbued, 
Filled with consuming zeal, 

Of hero-souls set in the van, 
God brings this marvel of a man 
The pow'rs for ill allied to brave for human weal. 



That statue's antitype. 
For his high calling ripe, 
Through God the giant foiled ; 

Before the haughty and the vaunting 
Striking for truth, with soul undaunting, 
Till startled pope and kings beneath their crowns recoiled. 



The might that in him wrought, 
With grace from heaven fraught 
For all the lands abroad, 

The hero-life within him nursed. 
Which forth in grand achievement burst, 
And toned " Ein' Feste Burg" with glory to our God. 



14 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 



Give praises to the Lord, 
For gospel truth restored, 
And echoed far and wide — 

To all the waiting nations rung 
By His anointed servant's tongue— 
That we by living faith in Christ are justified. 



Where'er the truth o'er earth 
Most freely marches forth. 
And souls doth liberate, — 

There breathes, with healthful demonstration — 
There pulsates ncnv the Reformation — 
Thence myriad tongues in this your joy participate. 

Though throngs, who press the ground, 
This artist-pile around, 
Fresh inspiration find, 

Long hath his monument been known • 
To rest on firmer base than stone — 
Ev'n in the deathless hearts of rising human-kind. 



Had ean of man ne'er heard 
The world-resounding word 
That tells of Luther born. 

Our eyes could not have looked upon 
That stately shaft to Washington, 
Which seeks the skies and greets the earliest beams of morn. 



And had the world ne'er heard, 
The words that in him stirred. 
And j)lead for liberty. 

Those walls, dome-crowned against the sky, 
Should not have gladdened human eye. 
Type of a people's power whom God hath spoken free. 



From his day comes there still 
The liljeraling thrill, 
With voice of heavenly call, — 

As Truth from tyranny delivers — 
Inner and outer bondage shivers. 
Though earth .-xnd hell coniliine to hold mankind m thrall. 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 15 



And yet, for future time 
Wait triumphs more sublime, 
When men, the nations o'er, 

In signs of joy-proclaiming light. 
Will semaphore, from height to height, 
The gospel victories on every mundane shore. 



Long as with earnest heart 
That cherished work of Art 
By countless eyes is viewed. 

They'll read what faith is pictured (here, 
What wondrous potency of prafr. 
What frophet-life and fire in look and attitude. 



There, firm on granite base. 
With Heav'n-imploring face, 
That symbol stand through time ; 

To speak, adown the lapsing ages. 
What History traced upon her pages 
To thrill with joyfulness the men of every clime. 



*' Stand ! that colossal form, " 
Facing the rushing storm 
Unmoved as 'neath the light ; 

As Luther faced careering wrath 
Which o'er him fain would plough its path- 
But which in weakness broke before Jehovah's might. 



There let it ever be 
A sign of thought set free. 
Of unbound tongue and will, 

Of shackles from the conscience riven, 
Of wider field to learning given. 
And of God's Book unsealed — all men with jov to fill. 



There let that image stand, 
The while the clenched hand 
Is on the Bible pressed, 

In token of the soul's appealing 
From man's device to God's revealing. 
Of Truth the one — the sure-^-the everlasting test. 



16 l.UTHEK AM' THE STATIK. 

There let it stand for aye — 
Long as the orb of day 
And nightly hosts behold ; 

There stand, perpetual witness giving — 
In praise to God, the Ever-living — 
For holy, highest Truth, which doth all hope infold. 

Long as that head shall there 
lie lifted high in air, 
Heedless of malice hurled. 

His work, whose fame is there attested. 
Shall more and more be manifested, 
As God's unfettered Truth emancipates the world. 

Thus, while the centuries, 
Unresting as the seas, 
Roll onward, one by one, 

This chosen of the Lord shall still 
His mission through the earth fulfill, 
Standing, to gazing eyes, like Uriel in the sun. 



©ay of l/nveilirig. 

Heaven never smiled more serenely than upon the 2ist of 
May, the day of the unveiling. Mr. A. J. D. Wedemeyer, of 
New York, gracefully presided at a morning meeting; the 
hymns of Luther were sung. The Revs. F. F. Burmeyer and 
Albert Hounrighaus conducted the devotional exercises, and 
the Rev. Drs. F. Ph. Hennighausen, A. C. Wedekind and E. 
Moldehnke, made addresses of great power in the German 
language. 

It is estimated that from 7,000 to 10,000 people witnessed 
the ceremonies around the Statue. The pulpit of Washington 
was largely represented upon the platform. The Martin Lu- 
ther Society, of New York City, together A\ith large delega- 
tions from Philadelphia, Baltimore, Harrisburg, York, Lan- 
caster, Gettysburg, Hagerstown, PVederick, Winchester and 
Richmond, besides representatives from distant parts of the 
country, extending even beyond the Missouri River, were 
present. The General Assembly of the Presb>'terian Church, 
in session at Saratoga, N. Y., and which had been invited 
to attend the unveiling, wired its congratulations and regrets 
through the Rev. Dr. Geo. P. Hayes, Moderator. The names 
of the many Lutheran pastors present, other than those who 
filled places in the programme, would add interest to the 
narrative, but it was not possible to secure a complete list. 
Very many of them evinced the liveliest interest in the Statue 



18 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 

movement from its inception to the unveilinij. Largely 
through their activity, seconded by the Hberality of the laity, 
was it made possible for the Statue Association to announce 
all bills paid, and a small surplus in the Treasury, safely in- 
vested, for incidentals that may arise in the future care of the 
Statue and grounds. The press of Washington, always full 
of enterprise, rendered valuable services to the Luther Statue 
Association, and, in connection with the Unveiling, published 
cuts of the Colossal Bronze with full reports of the proceedings. 
Mr. Justice Miller, of the Supreme Court of the United States, 
presided ; the Rev. Dr. V. W. Conrad and the Rev. Bishop A. 
I). l*a}-ne were the Chaplains. 



iK"] story of the Statue. 



Prepared by order of the Luther Statue Association. 



V For several years earnest friends of Luther and of his great 
work had agitated the planting of a statue of the German Re- 
former in our country, but by reason of insuperable difficulties, 
chiefly with reference to location, had not been able to accom- 
plish the grand work. 

To Mr. Charles A. Schieren, of New York City, belongs 
the honor of having first suggested the idea of a statue of 
Luther upon the fine site in front of the Memorial Church, to 
be known hereafter as " Luther Place." The Washington 
correspondent of the Lutheran Observer, "B." in one of his 
letters, spoke of the suggestion of Mr. Schieren. Dr. J. G. 
Morris, of Baltimore, another correspondent of the Observer, 
always fired by the mention of Luther, seconded, with his racy 
pen, that suggestion. - 

Falling under the eye of Mr. G. A. Dobler, of Baltimore, 
he at once entered into correspondence with the Pastor of the 
Memorial Church, sending photographs of the Worms Luther 
and a copy of correspondence which he had already had with 
Lauchhammer, at who.se renowned foundries the original 
bronze had been cast. Mr. Dobler suggested the names of 
Mr. A. J. D. Wedemeyer and Mr. J. W. B. Dobler, of New 
York City, with whom correspondence was at once opened. 



20 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 

In rcpK' to a letter to Mr. Augustus Kountze, of New York, 
a prompt and liberal subscription came, as did also a cheerful 
response from Mr. George Ryneal, Jr., of Washington. D. C. 
These gentlemen, wifli the addition of Hon. Daniel M. Fox, 
of Philadelphia, suggested by the editor of the Observer, 
formed themselves into an association for the accomplishment 
of the object whose consummation calls together this multi- 
tude of people to-day in the National Capital from all parts of 
our common country. 

Februar)- 14, 1883, a circular was issued asking for funds, 
and designating the banking houses of Kountze Brothers, of 
New York City, J. A. H. Becker, of Baltimore, and M. D. Bar- 
ter, of Mansfield, Ohio, all of whom were helpful to the work, 
as depositories. 

The papers of the Lutheran Church generally gave the sub- 
ject an endorsement, sonic more, some less hearty. " Luther 
Statue Notes" appeared weekly in the columns of the Observer 
from its Washington correspondent. The religious press of the 
country generally endorsed and commended the project, whilst 
the secular press freely published all items furni.shed it. 
Some diversion from the main purpose of the Association was 
occasioned by the question of location, raised chiefly in Wash- 
ington, the hope being expressed that permission might be had 
to put our Luther upon one of the public reservations. This, 
however, was soon found to be utterl}- impracticable as well 
as unnecessar\-. 

So prompt and hearty, from city and hamlet, were the re- 
sponses to the appeal of the circular that the Association 
unanimousl)' felt warranted in ordering the statue by cable- 
gram on the 1 2th of April, less than two months from the date 
of the circular. The hope then was that it might be ready 
for unveiling by the lOth of November, the four hundredth 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 21 

anniversary of the Reformer's birth, an event whose observ- 
ance was general and hearty throughout the Christian world. 
It was soon learned, however, that the statue could not be 
secured at so early a date. In the meanwhile, the Mem- 
orial Evangelical Lutheran Church, at a congregational meet- 
ing, authorized its trustees to transfer to the Statue Associa- 
tion, so soon as incorporated, so much of the triangle south of 
the church as was needed for the location of this magnificent 
bronze. 

The members of the Memorial Church evinced the most 
generous interest in the Luther Monument. The Feast of 
Unveiling culminated in a bounteous collation in the Chapel, 
provided by the ladies, which was enlivened by impromptu 
addresses, for visiting friends. 

Two meetings of the Statue Association were held in Phila- 
delphia and one in Washington, at which last meeting pre- 
liminary steps were taken looking toward the unveiling. The 
completed programme, arranged by correspondence, is here- 
with incorporated, and a copy has been deposited in the 
pedestal. 

The Association placed in the pedestal, a copper box, her- 
metically sealed, containing — 
I . A copy of the Word of God. 

A copy of K(3stlin's Life of Luther. 
A copy of Luther's Smaller Catechism. 
A copy of Stalls' Lutheran Year Book. 
A copy of the Lutheran Almanac for 1884. 
A United States Blue Book. 

Copies of the papers published by the Lutheran Church, 
and of the City of Washington. 
8. A history of the Association, and a list of contributors to 
the Luther Statue Fund. j 



22 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 

It is worthy of mention that the North German Lloyd Steam- 
ship Compan>- transported, free, from Hamburg to Baltimore, 
this Statue ; that the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Compan)- 
rendered similar service from Baltimore to Washington, and 
that the Messrs. Sprigmann & Brother, of this cit>% generously 
tendered similar service from the depot to the " Luther Place." 
On account of unforseen difficulties, but for the timely and 
generous co-operation of the Hon, Secretary of War, Robert 
T. Lincoln, Col. Thos. L. Casey, U. S. Engineers, in charge of 
the State, War and Navy building and of the Washington Mon- 
ument, and the Hon. Omar D. Conger, U. S. Senator from 
Michigan, this Statue would not be unveiled to-day. The 
thanks of the Luther Statue Association and its friends are 
hereby tendered. 

The Statue Association, in the presence of this immense 
concourse of people, of ever)' nationality and of every creed, but 
entering into a common joy, render devout thanks to Almighty- 
God, who has gi\-cn His blessing to this their humble endeavor 
to advance the cause of Truth and Righteousness. 

A Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States digni- 
fies the occasion by presiding at this meeting, whilst an 
honored Senator of the United States, O. D. Conger, of the 
State of Michigan, joins the venerable President of our Asso- 
ciation in fitting words of eulogy in memory of Luther, whose 
name and fame are more enduring than this colossal bronze. 

As the veil shall uncover the Statue, Luther's battle h\nin, 
the now classic "EiiiFeste Burg," by ihc United States Marine 
Band, will tell of the abiding faith and courage of the man 
whom Gotl has honored, the great Protestant, whose name 
becomes more lasting as the ages roll on. 

l?y order of the Luther Statue Association : 

J. G. BUTLEK, 

Correspoml'mg Secretory. 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 



]JoD. Q. |). (^on^ep'^ l33pe^p. 

The Hon. O. D. Conger, LL. D., Senator of the United 
States, from Michigan, being introduced, said : 

Mr. President : We stand in the presence of the veiled 
Statue of one who dwelt upon the earth four hundred years 
ago, whose influence and honors have spread from the hamlet 
of his nativity, in the heart of Germany, adown the waters of 
time in ever widening circles until they have encompassed the 
world. 

Four centuries from the date of his birth, three thousand 
miles from the scenes of his labor, on the borders of a conti- 
nent then undiscovered, in the Capital of a wonderful Nation 
then unborn, we gather from far and near around the Monu- 
ment of Martin Luther, wrought in enduring bronze from the 
mines of Germany, moulded by the skillful artisans of his own 
Fatherland, and transported over intervening land and sea to 
stand amidst the other memorials of patriotism and veneration 
that adorn our beautiful city, and .stimulate the faith and virtue 
of unnumbered citizens of this commonwealth. 

Justice Miller, of the Supreme Court, presides over the 
ceremonies. Senators and representatives in Congress bring 
the homage of respect from multitudes of people from their 
several States. Ministers of all creeds, and Christians of a 
common faith, and all who desire the regeneration and exalta- 
tion of the human race, who demand complete toleration of 
religious belief, who trust in the limitless expansion of intel- 
lectual vigor, who hope for perpetual growth of freedom and 
faith in the soul, are assembled here to render their tribute of 
respect to the memory of the great Reformer, and to dedicate 



■24 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 

his enduring Monument in the court of this Lutheran Memo- 
rial Church on the border of a circle already adorned with a 
splendid statue of one of our most illustrious soldier heroes. 

Mr. President, surrounded by such scenes, thrilled by such 
memories, subdued by the mysterious influence of such a life 
and character, the proudest and most self-reliant of us all 
must leave unanswered the perpetually recurring inquiry — 
W'hat has he done, this peasant boy of Eisleben, this sweet 
singer of Eisenach, this young Augustinian monk of Erfurt, 
this secluded prisoner of Wartburg, this professor in the Uni- 
versit>' of Wittenburg, this Reformer of Germany, this loved 
and venerated apo.stle of Christendom ? Indeed, what great 
things must he not have done to have won and worn the high 
esteem, the ardent affection, the more than imperial honors, 
and world-wide renown that crowned him in life, and enshrined 
his memory in the hearts of succeeding generations so long 
as time endures. 

In the brief time allotted to me I will not even outline his 
life and character and works, nor is there any necessit}', did 
time and ability permit. 

On the loth day of November, i8<S3, the four hundredth an- 
niversar)^ of Luther's birthday, and in the near time thereof, 
from pulpit and rostrum and press in every Christian com- 
munit>' on the globe, sermons, addresses, memorials, biogra- 
phies and histories of the life and times of this great man were 
poured forth with such superfluity of abundance that to renew 
them in almost any form would suggest plagiarism in the dis- 
course, and unwarranted ignorance in the audience. 

While, therefore, I shall leave to others, better fitted by their 
duty and profession, the interesting labor of presenting the re- 
ligious and tlieological questions involved in the discussions of 
those soul .stirring controversies and spiritual conflicts which 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 2.^ 

shook the world and changed the destinies of nations and em- 
pires, and gave such mighty impulses to the onward and up- 
ward progress of our race, I may be permitted to allude to 
some episodes in the life of our hero, to some influences about 
that time arousing the world from the slumber and lethargy 
of ^the dark ages, and to some of the consequences of that 
spiritual and intellectual awakening of which Germany was the 
battle ground and Martin Luther the central figure of strength. 
In imagination we may revisit the scenes of his life, and sur- 
round ourselves with the imagery of the land and the people 
where he dwelt. You will see the dark Thuringian forest of 
Saxony, its gloomy woods of fir and pine, with mysterious 
voices forever sounding through its leafy aisles, the wild 
huntsman dashing along its mountain crests, the spectral rider 
sounding his horn in pursuit of the deer. 

By midnight moons, 

O'er moistening dews. 
In vestments of the chase arrayed, 

The hunter still 

The deer pursues, 
The hunter and the deer a shade. 

In the gorges of the mountains are dark mines and caverns 
filled with all imaginable ghosts and goblins guarding the 
treasures of the earth and the gems of the mine, all real and 
terrible to that peasant boy of Eisleben as well as to all the 
dwellers in that mysterious region. What marvel that his 
mind was filled with images of demons to fight and with per- 
sonal devils to encounter? What marvel that he would crush 
one devil with his ink stand, and would go to the supreme 
trial at Worms, though he believed the devils were as thick as 
tiles on the houses? In God's name he would go on. 

In the villages and gardens of the beautiful valleys were 



■26 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 

fruits and flowers, and sincjinfj birds, and lau<rhintj children, 
and rural sports, and bands of singing youths, then, as now, 
the children of music and of song. 

What mar\el that Luther's heart was full of music and his 
voice of song ; that he wrote h\-mns and songs and set them 
to music through all his life, hj'nins and songs and music t.hat 
have flashed with electric speed from throbbing human hearts 
to the ear of One who is forever touched with our infirmities, 
and who hath borne the infinite sorrows of our race ? 

In all that German land were the pure, cheerful Saxon 
homes, the loving Teutonic families, the virtuous matron and 
maid. What marvel, tlien, that the priest, when casting aside 
the doctrine of papal supremacy and the Romish ritual, should 
likewise reject monkish celibac\' and the nun's seclusion, and 
restore to the ministr}' the sacred relations of the family, and 
to the nun the endearing enjoyments of lu)me ? 

Ma\ing. A\hether pro\'identially or by chance, had occa- 
sional opportunities to stuck- the Latin bible in the monaster}- 
at I^-furt, and learned the marvelous treasures which were 
unrevealed in the German language and almost unknown to 
the Latin scholar, whether laj'man or priest, what marvel that 
his prison in the Ca.stle ofWartburg became the most illus- 
trious "school of the prophets" whence issued from his glow- 
ing pen that glorious version of the go.spel. not only the word 
of life but also the perennial fountain of pure German litera- 
ture which has, more than anything else, preser\ed alike the 
faith and the language of the Teutonic races. 

These few references must suffice for mere personal inci- 
dents and allusions. 

There are, aside from the spiritual experiences and religious 
struggles and triumphs of this stalwart champion of truth, 
many things in the histor\- of the times in which he li\-ed, and 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 27 

the conditions of the nations of the earth, and the state of 
human society, and the mental and spiritual awakening which 
about those days spread ov^er the world, that demand the con- 
sideration of those who would comprehend the marvelous 
changes and progress of the opening years of the sixteenth 
century. Before that time the art of printing had been in- 
vented. More deadly war material came into use. The Turk 
had driven alike the spiritual and temporal powers of Christen- 
dom from Asia and from parts of Europe ; the Crescent had 
triumphed over the Cross in the powerful bishopric of Alex- 
andria, in all Arabia, in all the region of the wonderful cities 
beyond Jordan, in the Holy Land itself The minarets of 
Islam towered above the foundations of the sacred temple, and 
the Christian crept in abject disguise to weep by night near 
the place of his Redeemer's supulchre. In Antioch, where 
they were first named, the Christian was unknown. In all the 
land of the Seven Churches the relitjion of Mahomet had abso- 
lute sway. The Turk passed the Hellespont, and the Empire 
of Constantine was blotted out. Greece and Macedon yielded 
to the false Prophet, and the Moslem cry of the muezzin echoed 
along the shores of the Danube even to the gates of Vienna. 
The most beautiful part of Spain had been long the conquest 
of Moorish Mohammedism. Indeed the Christendom of the 
early centuries had been driven from Asia and Africa and 
eastern Europe until its frontier was well nigh beyond the 
lands of apostolic visitation. While more fiery zeal was 
kindled in the breasts of the deluded followers of Mahom- 
med, an infinite lethargy benumbed the disciples of the Cross. 
The church, after spasmodic crusades to redeem the holy 
sepulchre, slumbered amid its formalities and ceremonials, 
relinquished vast realms of its former control to wage war 
upon the faith and conscience of its individual members. 



28 LUTHEK AND THE STATUE. 

Through all these dark ages, while continents were passing" 
from its control, and vast domains were wrested from its in- 
fluence, the church at least retained the only records of our 
holy religion, the literature and knowledge of former ages, and 
with its Reformati(Mi made possible the marvelous progress of 
modern times. ^Vs a harbinger of the great Reformation, the 
Christian powers drove back the Turk from the walls of Vienna, 
adown the Danube and beyond the Balkans. In Spain, in the 
very year that Luther was born, Ferdinand and Isabella com- 
menced the eight }-ears' war which drove the Moors from 
Spain and reclaimed to Chri.stendom some of its fairest prov- 
inces. And in that selfsame year Columbus left the Court of 
John of Portugal, weary and discouraged witii eight years of 
promise and denial of aid, for his great voyage of discovery, 
and for the next eight years, until 1492, both in court and 
camp offered to the sovereigns of Castile and Arragon the so\'- 
ereignty of a new world. Before Luther's manhood the Por- 
tugese had encompassed Africa; Columbus had discovered 
America; wonderful stories of wonderful lands were on every 
tongue ; unknown oceans were explored, unknown races of 
men were found ; dreams of wealth and visions of empire, 
greed for gold and zeal for conversion, were mingled in strange 
confusion in the minds of saint antl sinner. All the world wa.s 
aroused ; the hope of converting the strange heathen race.s 
quickened spiritual activit}'. liu' same ship bore the explorer 
with his sword and the priest with his gospel, to conquer realm.s 
and redeem souls. The courtier left the palace, the monk his 
cell ; the cavalier forsook his pleasures and the Puritan his 
home, to found colonies and churches in far off lands. We 
have not been told, we may never know, how far the direct or 
the m\-sterious influences of such startling events awaken alike 
the moral and intellectual forces of our being ; how voice 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 29 

answeretli to voice and deep unto deep, until along the mystic 
chord of sympathy the heart of humanity is moved by a com- 
mon impulse to holier aspirations and purer sacrifice. But we 
may well believe that the great heart of Luther throbbed with 
quickened pulsation to the influences which were arousing the 
world. That the old Saxon spirit which was then commenc- 
ing that career of control and supremacy which has already 
encircled the globe, and will hereafter control its destinies, 
was then strong in him ; that he was the true representative 
of those Teutonic forces which are being developed in all the 
progressive nations, and are the very fountain and source of 
most of the marvelous inventions and grand discoveries of 
this most wonderful age. He walked in the valley of humilia- 
tion, and he strode along the high places of power; he com- 
forted and sustained the lowly in their sorrow, and he thundered 
anathemas upon the proudest in their sins. Ivxhorting unceas- 
ingl)' to all good works, he ever bore upon the folds of his 
banner the motto and watchword, " The j ust shall live b)- Faith." 
He rebuked with equal vigor the oppression of the nobility 
and the communism and revenges of the peasantry. Spiritual 
pride was, if possible, less offensive to his soul than slavish 
humility. 

Liberty of conscience, personal responsibility of man, an ex- 
istence of probation on earth, the resurrection of the body 
and the immortality of the soul. With such a theme rounding 
the tragic history of every spirit that emerges unconscious 
from the unrevealed beginning of existence to tread thence- 
forth the dark or the luminous pathways of eternity — 

" We feel our immortality o'ersweep 

All time, all tears, all pain, all fears, 
Pealing, like the eternal thunders of the deep, 

This truth into our ears. 
Ye live forever." 



30 LUTHER AND THK STATUE. 

Among those great, '.' those immortal names that were not 
born to die," the world of humanit}' has enthroned Martin 
Luther. Conspicuous in the capital of a nation whose possi- 
bility of existence hinged ujion his labors in life, and the 
adoption of the principles he taught till his death, we this day 
place this memorial of our veneration. May it endure for the 
centuries to come an emblem of hurrian progress and im- 
mortal hope, l^ut should the ravages of time corrode and 
wear away the enduring bronze and crumble the solid granite, 
may this Capital of our glorious commonwealth still remain 
the living heart and center of a Nation of united freemen, 
more happy than our imagination can picture, advanced in all 
the elements of goodness and greatness beyond our fondest 
dreams, blessing and blessed by the untold millions who shall 
enter into our glorious inheritance and perpetuate the sublime 
institutions established b)- our fathers and preserxed b\- the 
infinite Ruler of the Uni\-erse. 



Jjev. J. ^j. j\forrif '^MTe§, 

The Rev. J. G. Morris. D. D., LL. 1)., President of the Lu- 
ther Statue Association, followed Senator Conger, and said : 

All hail ! my fellow believers present, as well as the w hole 
Protestant communit)' of our land, upon tiie auspicious e\ent 
which has brought so man\' ot us together this daw After 
many months of labor, an.viet\-. self-denial and some fruit- 
less opposition, and not a small degree of indifference, we are 
happ\' in beholding the consummation of our ardent wishes 
and the successful result of our earnest exertions. 

We live to sec the completion of a work, which was ne\er 
before undertaken in this countr)- — the erection of a statue to 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 31 

the illustrious Martin Luther. Statesmen, heroes, benefactors, 
jurists, artists and divines have been honored by our grateful 
people, but never before has the greatest of them all been thus 
distincruished. In his own fatherland numerous statues have 
been erected to his memory, and not less than five or six within 
the last few years. 

It was becoming that we, American admirers of the mighty 
Reformer, and we especially who ecclesiastically bear his hon- 
ored name, should follow this bright example and behold be- 
fore us the realization of our work. 

The Protestant Church could not excite such a universal 
enthusiasm about any other ecclesiastical character since the 
days of Paul — no, never. 

There have been many mighty men before Luther ; there 
were many strong men cotemporary with him, some of whom 
were his co-laborers, and a few of whom may have been even 
more learned than he was ; but we cannot make a church hero 
of any of them, though they were great and good men. 
Luther is the embodiment of the whole of them ; head and 
shoulders above them all, the colossus of the gallery, the giant 
of the group. 

Star after star rose in radiant splendor in the dark church 
heavens, and shed through space their cheerful light; but 
amid this galaxy of lights, which studded the firmament, 
Luther shone forth the brightest of them all, whose blazing 
rays penetrated deeper into the gloom and dispelled it as with 
a flash. 

He was the only man in all the ages at the remembrance 
of whose inappreciable services the heart of Protestantism 
bounds with rapture ; his name rings like the sound of a 
silver trumpet through the generations, and the echoes of it 
will never cea.se to be heard. Luther is not a sectarian name ; 



32 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 

it belongs to the whole Christian Church ; all unite in cele- 
brating him as the glorious instrument chosen of God to per- 
form the mighty work ; his name and \\ ork are now more 
frequently mentioned, his writings more frequently quoted, 
more books are published about him, and his invaluable ser- 
vices are more highly rated, than ever before. 

In nearly every centur)- before, there had been some good 
men who wrote and preached against the errors of the church ; 
but they attacked the bad morals practiced rather than the 
unscriptural doctrines then believed ; and even against these 
there was no bold, decided, continued protestation, no chal- 
lenge of the theologians to discussion, no extended exposure 
of their false teachings. 

God broueht out Luther, who was himself a monk and 
priest; he discerned the errors of the church in faith and prac- 
tice ; his righteous soul was fired with a holy ardor; like 
another Elijah, he thundered the truth into the ears of princes 
and kings and prelates ; like another John Bai)tist, he pro- 
claimed the coming of the Son of Man in the restoration of 
pure doctrine and hoi)- living ; he pointed to Christ and said: 
" Kehold the lamb, instead of }-our images, pilgrimages, 
rosaries, confessions and fastings." He disinterred the gospel 
biH'ied in the foul grax'e of papal sin and gU^oni. 

The mightiest revolution of motlern times was the conse- 
quence ; there was the introduction of new modes of thought 
and action ; the world seemed to awake as out of a dream ; 
the truth triumphed and the gospel became free. 

The particular occasion was, as \-ou know , the ninety-five 
propositions, a storj- familiar to every intelligent person. 

This open defiance in publishing these propositions was only 
proclaimed by Luther after all attempts to move the heads of 
the church were fruitless. Pope, cardinals and bishops were 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 33 

called on to reform acknowledged errors and corruptions ; 
they promised, but they failed. Then it was that Luther rose ; 
these propositions were carried into all directions, and created 
an extraordinary sensation, the attention of multitudes roused 
new ideas ; new methods of thinking, new ways of doing things 
were introduced; there was a resurrection of mind; no new, 
I mean original, faith was preached. It was the old faith of 
the apostles, but reintroduced. It was restored to life, though 
it was not dead, it only slept. It was brought out fresh from 
the rubbish which had been allowed to gather upon it for a 
thousand years ; it was newly cleansed from human additions 
and abuses. Our Protestant Christianity is not a new religion, 
but the old, like a grand marble monument, showing its orig- 
inal purity after the gathered dust of ages and the gaudy 
decorations of a vitiated taste have been washed away. 

This is the old, fresh, life inspiring, mind enlightening, soul 
saving gospel taught by the apo.st!es, sanctioned and accepted 
by the pious of all ages, the light of which had been obscure 
for centuries. It was hidden under a bushel, and Luther lifted 
it off; it was concealed behind a curtain, but he drew the cur- 
tain aside, and showed the light in all its burning splendor. 

Science was extinguished, literature pined in monastic cells, 
and the bible was mildewed under scholastic rubbish ; the 
altar was overloaded with meretricious ornaments ; the sacra- 
ments were desecrated b}- unscriptural additions ; the priest- 
hood was the slavish horde of the tyrannical usurper of God's 
throne, and the people were ignorant, super.stitious and de- 
graded ; the gospel was obscured b\- human inventions, and 
the world was sunk in the depths of error and sin. The soli- 
tary monk who shook the world arose, and liberty and light 
were restored to the suffering nations. 

The church was rescued from the slavery of human au- 



34 LUTHER AND THE STATUE 

thority in religion, from confidence in man for salvation, anci 
from the blighted errors of a false worship. 

The bible is the religion of Protestants; the bible alone is 
our guide. It wa.s this bible which gave liberty to Luther, 
and it was Luther, with this bible in his hand, who gave lib- 
ert}- to the wc^'ld. Yes, libert}- from a bondage ten-fold more 
galling than chains of temj)ered iron. 

By this touchstone we tr)- the spirits. This is the j)rice!ess 
jewel of gospel libert}' in which we rejoice. Look at the 
difference between us and the Rtmianist in this respect: 

He is bound to believe what the church prescribes, without 
examination. 

We examine and then believe. 

He takes everything on credit that is taught without any 
reflection. 

We require proof from the scripture. 

He believes what the church teaches. 

We believe what the bible teaches. 

He never calls into question what he is taught. 

We say, even to our minister, you must pro\'e what you 
teach from the word of God. 

He exercises no judgment in such matters. 
We exercise private judgment. 

This is our Christian liberty. 

W'e do not trust for salvation in human meditations; we, as 
members of Christ's body, stand in immediate connection with 
llim; we, as branches, are immediately joined with Christ, 
the true vine. There are no created mediators between Him 
and us. "One mediator between God and man, the man 
Christ Jesus." We reject the intercession of the Virgin Mary 
and the saints, though we may revere them. We do not ask 
for their help because we do not need it. 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 



35 



Here is our great advantage ; one Lord, one glorious head. 
" No other name given under heaven whereby we are saved." 

Oh, how unlike the cumbrous works of man is the plan of 
heaven, so artless, easy and unencumbered. There are no 
meretricious arts to beguile us, no clustering ornaments to 
clog us. Heaven's plan is as free from ostentation as it is 
from weakness. It stands like a glorious rainbow, majestic in 
its own simplicity, above the portal of our Protestant Church, 
legible by the light thrown upon it by the star of Bethlehem, 
stands the soul quickening inscription, " Believe and live." 

The Reformation was not a human work; though God em- 
ployed human agency; it was a divine work. All the prehm- 
inaries showed a direct divine agency; the revival of learning 
in Europe; the study of ancient languages; the discovery of 
America and of printing; the growing inquiry among men; a 
sense of their wrongs and oppressions ; the spread of light and 
the death of martyrs — all these were preparatives directed by 
Providence. The world was in a ferment, just as at the time 
of the coming of Christ, people were looking for some great 
change ; they did not know what it would be. But the times 
were exciting ; the church was corrupt in doctrine and morals ; 
truth was obscured ; the necessity of a reform was conceded. 
At length Luther rose. God endowed him with singular 
gifts: unshaken fortitude; dauntless courage; indefatigable 
industry; burning zeal; devoted piety; great learning. Such 
was the man. He raised him up and protected him ; shielded 
him amid many dangers ; rescued him almost miraculously 
out of the hands of the enemy; strengthened him in all bold 
enterprises ; enabled him to translate the bible and write many 
other good books. Thus the work was carried on until hun- 
dreds of thousands were converted, and from that day to this 
the glorious gospel has had full course. 



36 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 

}Ic stood in the \anguard of the i^reat battle, a genuine 
liero, ifexcr mortal man was heroic. His character was built 
upon a broad foundation of true manhood, and he was a 
champion of humanity. His massive intelligence and saga- 
city ; his intellectual courage ; his sincerity; his simplicity of 
life ; his deep tenderness ; his fiery and aggressive energy ; his 
keen insight into shams, and his sure grasp of realities; his 
fervent piety ; these were the outlines of a colossal character, 
to whom admiring Europe looked as a leader and deliverer. 
The time was ripe for such a revolution ; had there been no 
Luther the reformation might have come in some form or 
other, but it would not have been wliat it was, and the chances 
arc that it would not have been so good. 

It was Luther's humanity that made Protestantism the re- 
ligion of the household, as Romanism had been tiie religion 
(if the State and of the cathedral. 

How shall we honor the memory of this man who, next to 
St. Paul, has been the most powerful personality that Chris- 
tianity has produced ? It is not by erecting monuments to 
him, nor holding conventions; but. better than these, b\- the 
study of his life and work. It is not enough to consider a few 
of the many striking epochs of his life ; these, wonderful as 
they were, were not the real battles of the Reformation. It is 
a good stud)-, this era of the Reforn'.ation, and if we could suc- 
ceed in leading our churches to pursue it at this anniver.sar)^ 
it would be well. For it was a time when men, repudiating 
the papal authorit\-, set themselves to the study of the bible as 
it had never been studied before. They sought in the bible 
that infallible guide which church authority no longer offered 
to the satisfaction of their consciences. The bible was their 
chart, their beacon, their sure stronghold. It is good to re- 
call such days and to follow such examples. 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 37 

The Reformation emancipated the enslaved church from 
Satanic thraldom ; the colossal fortress of popery trembled 
from summit to foundation from the rude shock it sustained ; 
the great Luther, with his Bohemian goose quill, pierced 
through the mighty fabric and exposed its internal corrup- 
tions to an astonished world. By it the baptismal font of 
God's house was purified of all idolatry, and the simple though 
significative New Testament baptism was reintroduced. On 
that day, the apostolic practice of private confession was res- 
cued from all oppression of the conscience, from enforced bodil)- 
mortification, from slavish submission to ecclesiastical tyranny, 
from the imposition of unnatural penalties, and groundless 
threats of purgatory and damnation. On that day the altar 
was purified from the abominations of the mass, and the gos- 
pel sacrament of the body and blood of our Lord was rein- 
stated. On that day the pulpit was brought back ^to its 
legitimate purpose, and ceased to be the platform for the sale 
of indulgences and the publication of fables and falsehoods. 
On that day the ministry was elevated to its original dignity 
and office of preaching the simple gospel of our Lord, and 
laid aside its presumptive arrogance, its greedy avarice, and 
its unwarranted claims in hearing auricular confession and 
shriving professed penitents. On that day human govern- 
ment received its regeneration, in being emancipated from the 
tyranny of Rome, which claimed authority over and above all 
human reigning powers and subjects alike. On that day all 
poor sinners were taught that they should not seek for com- 
fort by invoking the saints, but by trusting only in the merits 
of Christ. The dying had reason to rejoice in that da}-, f:r 
they were no longer tortured by the apprehensions of purga- 
tory, but if dying in the faith, they would at once be admitted 
into heaven. In a word, the universal believing church in one 



38 LUTHER AND THK STATUE. 

united voice can exclaim : This is the day the Lord has made ; 
we will rejoice and be glad in it; and this is the feeling in 
which \vc all partake. 

Our Luther statue to be unveiled to-daj- has been favorably 
noticed by hundreds of secular and religious papers ; the pro- 
ject has been sanctioned, and has secured the approbation and 
sympathy of thousands in and out of our church. It will at- 
tract still further attention, and for ages to come visitors to the 
Capital will gaze with admiration upon the features of that 
glorious Reformation hero, while they call to remembrance the 
misrhtv work which Pnnidcnce selected him to perform. 

Wc expect that man)- Lutheran nationalities will be there 
to participate in the joyous jubilee. Just as the veil falls there 
will be one grand swelling, overwhelming burst of happy 
song, " l'"in fcstc Burg ist unser Gott ! " 

Some may ask us to-da)- What went ye out to see ? and we 
Avill answer: Not a reed shaken by the wind, but a mighty 
oak, as Herder says. The .storm rages at the summit, but 
thou, O, Luther I with thy hundred branching arms, standest 
fast, and .still art green ; not a man in soft raiment and of weak 
mind, but a man of brass, solid, firm, unshaken, "even if the 
world were full of devils." W'c ha\e come to see an undaunted 
witness of the truth, the unterrified hero. As a man of rock, 
he stood unalarmed before princes and potentates ; as an un- 
compromising witness, he gax'e the plain, homely answer. " I 
cannot do otherwise." We ha\-e come out to sec Luther in 
imperishable bronze, not sitting behind his desk covered with 
books, but -Standing upon his feet ; not with downcast looks, 
but with elevated head, his severe brow challenging .storm and 
hail, and sniiling even at the terrific thunder as it rolls by him, 
and at the weird, burning lightning as it plays round his head, 
as though he would say, " Here I stand." We come out to see 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 39 

a pious servant of God, not one of those modern heroes of 
liberty, who would emancipate us from the obligations of hu- 
man and divine government ; not a besieger of heaven, who 
would tear the crown from the Almighty ; not a church revo- 
lutionist, who would overturn the deep foundation of divine 
truth, but a church Reformer and a restorer of apostolic Chris- 
tianity. 

We come out to see a man standing with the bible in his 
hand, which he clasps closely to his heart, as though he would 
say, "God help me." We come out to see the man of prayer; 
the man who gave God's word to the people in their own lan- 
guage ; who restored the true worship ; who re-erected the 
broken-down pulpit. This Luther, with the bible in his hand, 
seems to exclaim, " I am not ashamed ; hear all ye people, 
the word which I have restored to you, for you will find no 
substitute for it in the writings of the philosophers, with all 
their wisdom ; nor in your poets, with all their harmonious 
verse ; nor in your discoverers, with all their useful inventions; 
nor in your statesmen, with all their diplomacy; for other 
foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, even Christ." 

But how are we to account for the universal excitement in 
the Protestant world on this subject at this time ? What has 
lately happened to call the attention of so many hundred thou- 
sands to it ? 

Is Protestantism in peril ? No ; it never stood firmer. 

" How can that be a failure," says a distinguished Presbyte- 
rian divine, "which did not exist before i50o,and in 1884 con- 
trols 488,000,000 of people, while its rivals, including both the 
Roman and Greek churches, control only about 280,000,000 ?" 

Is Protestantism declining, requiring a spasmodic effort on 
the part of its friends to support the shaking fabric ? No ! It 
is more powerful and influential than ever ; its lukewarm 



40 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 

friends are every wlicre awakiiv^ toacti\e life; its ardent advo- 
cates are renewing their eneri^ies ; their numbers are increas- 
ing; their zeal is growing; its peaceful conquests are rapidly 
extending ; its weapons are multiplying, for more than a mil- 
lion of bibles are printed and circulated every year ; its presses 
are publishing the most substantial religious literature; its 
pulpits are e\'erywhere proclaiming salvation b)- faith in the 
Son of God ; its Sunday schools are teaching the gospel to 
five millions of children ; its missionaries are bearing the light 
of life to the heathen in every quarter of the globe ; its col- 
leges and theological seminaries are equipping men for e\'ery 
department of human enterprise and for the pulpit. Wherever 
introduced, it brings all the benefits of civilization ; it pro- 
motes commerce, stimulates thcnight, establishes schools, rears 
colleges, founds hospitals, encourages art and .science, erects 
printing presses, issues newspapers, digs canals, tunnels moun- 
tain.s, extends railroads, sets up free government, settles colo- 
nies, raises cities, reclaims uncultivated lands, builds churches, 
keeps the Lord's day, suppresses lawlessness, and preaches 
with untiring energy the blessings of liberty and civilization 
to the uttermost parts of the world. 

Is Proiestantlsm declinmg f 

Ikit why this world-extended interest in Martin Luther's 
birthday just at this time? 

Because the world has learned that Protestantism alone 
fo.sters human libert\-, and secures the rights of conscience 
and ]:)ri\ate judgment. 

However men ma\' differ as to the form of government — im- 
perial, monarchial or republican — the\' know well enough that 
Protestanism alone will perpetuate the blessings of civilization, 
maintain the authority of established government and promote 
the happiness of the people. Protestants will not submit to 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 41 

the domination of one man, spiritual or secular, whose single 
word is their law, and who prescribes to them a way to heaven 
upon pain of damnation — a way not found in the bible and 
upon which we are not allowed to judge for ourselves. 

It was thought proper then to recall to Protestants the 
memory of the mighty man whose words were thunderbolts, 
and through ^\■hose agency under God the enslaved nations 
were disenthralled. Luther is more to Protestants than a re- 
ligious Reformer. He achieved the conquest over the slavery 
of human thought ; he freed the human conscience from 
riveted shackles; he is the restorer of education; he is the 
founder of our public schools ; he is the author of national 
culture ; he gave the first impulse to every quality that con- 
tributes to the earthly welfare of mankind. Such a man'.s 
birthday is well worth celebrating. 

The only other reason I shall now give for this celebration 
at this time is to fire the Protestant heart against the aggres- 
sions of her enemies. Her enemies are numerous, formidable 
and bold. 

Rationalism, materialism, with their sev^eral coadjutors, and 
Romanism are her worst enemies. 

I speak now of systems and not of men. I accede to men 
the right of thinking as they please ; but I claim the right of 
fully expressing my opinion about their thoughts. This is a 
Protestant privilege, and woe be to the man or church that 
dares to deprive us of it. 

When I speak of our enemies, I mean everything that op- 
poses the progress and nature of Protestantism, whether it be 
in the form of materialism^ which would dethrone our God, 
or of rationalism, which depreciates revelation, or of infidelity, 
which rejects our bible, our Lord's Day, and would obliterate 
all the hallowed memories of our religious homes and Christian 



42 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 

training, and would dissuade pious mothers from teaching their 
children to say, Our Father who art in heaven, or Now I lay 
me down to sleep ; or of that politico-religious system which 
would abolish our public schools ; prevent the bible from being 
read in them ; which will not recognize our Republican Gov- 
ernment because not sanctioned by their own foreign poten- 
tate ; which never participates in the celebration of an)' 
Thanksgiving Da}-, or any other National holiday, because 
the da)- has been set apart b)- a Republican Go\-ernment, 
whose authorit)- it does not recognize ; which denies salva- 
tion to all who do not blindl)- submit to its own spiritual 
domination ; which condemns Luther and all who with him 
reject its dogmas to perdition ; which aims at universal sov- 
ereignty over the minds and consciences of men, although 
their own leader in Rome has lost his own temporal power, 
and which, as the New York Evening Post has properly said, 
" has failed to prex-ent the immense schism known as Pro- 
testantism, and to get even a tithe of her male members to 
pa)- any attention to her ordinances ; " and this is the system 
which would force us all to acknowledge her rule, and dooms 
us all to hell because we do not. 

It was thought proper that the Protestant world should hold 
a jubilee festival to remind us of what the man of the sixteenth 
centur)- brought us, for as a popular writer of the present day 
.sa)-s, (Harper's Monthly, No\-.. 1SS3, p. 958,) "In the truest 
sense Luther is the father of modern ci\ilization. He eman- 
cipated the human miml from ecclesiastical slaver)-. He pro- 
claimed that freedom of thought without which it is easy to 
see that, despite the great modern inventions, the spirit of the 
dark ages must have been indefinitel)' prolonged, aiul the 
cour.se of modern civilization must ha\e been essentiall)' dif- 
ferent. It was the spiritual freedom which Luther asserted that 



LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 43 

produced political freedom and the freedom of the press. * * 
Indeed among human benefactors there are few greater names 
than Martin Luther." 

O that the soul of Luther 

Were on the earth again, 
The mighty soul whose mightier faith 

Burst ancient error's chain, 
And flashed the rays of God's own word 

Through superstition's night. 
Till the church of God that sleeping lay, 

Awoke in Christ's own light. 



The Statue^ 



which had been veiled with the American flag, is now unveiled, 
amid bursts of applause, whilst Luther's ''Ein Feste Burg,'' by 
the U. S. Marine Band, gives a fitting finale. 

* Unveil the hero, let him stand 
With us, as in the Father land, 

A way mark in the march of Time ; 
Unyeil him whose own hand unveiled 
The modern world and Hell assailed 
With faith and courage all sublime. 

Columbia hails Germania's son 
As father of her Washington — 

Nor were the son without the sire ; — 
The freedom born of Luther's thought 
Was here to forms of justice wrought 

In war's intensest furnace fire. 

With Bible 'neath thy clenched hand 
Upon thy granite pillar stand 
Within our nation's capital, 
And whilst Potomac's silvery wave 
Shall wash Mount Vernon's honored grave 
Thy name and fame shall never fall. 
*Dr. Joseph Swartz's Poem. 



44 LUTHER AND THE STATUE. 

Artistically this colossal bronze of the great Reformer is un- 
surpassed, whilst in inspiration it is unequaled. It stands a 
thing of beauty and an abiding protest against all forms of 
oppression, pleading, with the earnestness of four centuries, for 
the emancipation of conscience and of the universal man, from 
the despotisms which still retard the coming kingdom of the 
Prince of Peace. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



014 368 844 6 f 




